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LolaLayla

Advice on choosing breed of dog please

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Kalico, your dog is so lovely!! Thank you for all the great advice. I am going to aim for the spring if I do get a dog as I want to spend time training it and have been told that is the best time. Although I will be back on here looking for advice on house training etc if I get one!! I do look at the SPCA website to see what comes in but some of the dogs may have problems. That is why I did not go for ex bat girls when getting my hens. Just went for easy Isa Browns because as a beginner I was worried that I may not know what was normal or not.

I think I am still leaning towards one of the small non shedding breeds although it was mentioned that they can yap a bit, I would not want it to bark too much to annoy the neighbours. I already get concerned if the girls chat too loudly!

Thanks also for the suggestion of phoning Battersea. I will certainly do that.

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I would suggest going to a rescue centre and seeing what they have for rehoming.

 

You might find the perfect dog sat there in a kennels waiting for a new family! :wink: The centre staff will be able to advise/match up the best dog to suit your needs. A puppy would be hard work IMO unless you can dedicate a lot of time, plus there are so many lovely doggies out there waiting in shelter. :wink:

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The Guiding forum, on which I am a Moderator, has an auto mod facility too....and it used to auto mod S"Ooops, word censored!"horpe, until we took it out of the auto mod process. We wouldn't have noticed except some of the member put their Units names in their signature, and it wouldn't come up! :oops:

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:) I have a border terrier called Ziggy Stardust. I got her at 8 weeks and within 1 week she was housetrained. We have never had any mess with her and she has never chewed anything she wasn't supposed to. Borders are very intelligent. She is a good dog for us cos she will kill mice but unlike a cat she doesnt bring them in the house as a present for you! My chickens are in a WIR but every morning she comes down the garden with me to open up their Eglu. I don't think I would let her too near them as she always barks at them when they first come out and although they run at her from inside the run - She could well get them.

 

She is a great guard dog too but her favourite pastime is sitting with me having a cuddle and watching telly. No matter where we are - if i say - "Ziggy do you want to watch telly?" she charges to the back door and straight into the front room to watch. He favourite programme over Christmas was One man and his dog.

 

We have her hand stripped twice a year - but a lot of people do it themselves.

(Bluebelle)GNRGNR

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P>S> I forgot to say that she adores my two grandkids. Millie is 8 and Max is 2 - in fact there is only one week between him and Ziggy and she loves him to bits. She is really gentle with him even though he pull her by the ears or tail and shuts her in her crate when we go to stay. Mind you - she also shares the crate with him and he has been known to be found asleep in there and the dog next to him

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We have one of each - a male and female dog. Both are very lovely. I tend to think that boys are a bit more "sparky" whereas the females are more sedate. Females cost much more to get spayed so this might be a consideration.

 

Puppies are very hard work - we had Henry as a puppy and swore that next time we would get a rescue adult! We got Daisy at age 2 and she has been a delight. Thought there might be a bonding problem but we love her just the same as we do Henry.

 

Might be worth considering a young rescue dog - maybe 9 months to 1 year. He/she will have already been spayed and a good rescue centre will have a pretty good idea of the personality. We got Daisy through the Labradoodle Trust and they put rescued dogs with foster families which means that they can test the dog's reaction to cats, children etc. There might be a similar trust for the breed of dog you eventually decide on

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I think the boy vs girl temperament is dependent on breed/type - generally male Borders are more laid back than females, in Ridgebacks, the females can have a real edge whereas the males are more chilled. I find in some of the gundogs that the boys are more chilled out too. A lot depends on when males were neutered, whether females have had seasons etc.

 

I hear from clients a lot that there child can do 'anything' to the family dog, which may be fine until the dig has a sore ear/back etc. I think all children should be taught how to respect a dog and it's space - I run classes where we teach children how to behave around dogs and what is acceptable behaviour. I'm quite shocked at what some parents allow their kids to do to the dog - riding it like a horse, wrestling etc. I think mutual respect is the key with children and dogs.

 

Every year we euthanase young dogs who one day can't take the rough handling anymore and lash out. My dogs all work with kids and any child attempting to be rough is immediately corrected and shown what is apporopriate.

 

You will come across a dog/breed that you want to learn more about and the journey to finding your new family member will begin. I'm excited for you!

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Dogs that moult are nearly always going to cause problems with people with allergies.

We have a Giant Schnauzer for that reason, my husband used to get asthma type symptoms around dogs and both my daugthers suffer from hayfever and ezcema in the past.

All dogs need exercise and a chance to interact with other dogs and people, they all need different levels of exercise but I think they all need their daily outing/s. A dog is what you make it , bad habits need to be sorted out and you need to be firm and fair with them so they know where they stand. Then you will have a well adjusted dog that will cope with anything.

There are lots of non shedding breeds, Welsh terrier, Irish terrier, schnauzers of all sizes, fox terriers etc if possible try and 'borrow' a dog, we borrowed a miniature schnauzer from a friend and he stayed with us for quite a few hours to make sure no one had a reaction to him.

A friend of mine has a Labradoodle but she is more Labra than doodle so she moults like a Labrador, it's everywhere so with mixed breeds it probably depends which breed is more dominant so maybe a risk not worth taking, just a thought.

Good luck

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I have still been investigating, and seem to be going round in circles a bit! I spoke to the lady at the local grooming parlour and she has both a Shih tzu and a female Lhasa Apso. She said the male Shih tzu was the easier dog, friendlier, less aloof, not too bothered about walks and more content, but then again this could just be the individual dog. As I had to take the rabbit to the vet I also asked her opinion and she said the poodle was the best bet for allergy suffers. One positive thing is that my friend is letting me have her Lhasa for a few hours next week to see how we get on.

I know I will have to spend a lot of time training a pup and the nurse at the vets said not to use the puppy pads etc but to treat it as a baby and during the night get up to let it out if need be. With regards exercising I know it will end up as my job...you know how it is everyone is keen at first! I just don't want to have a dog that will not be contented with short walks and playing in the garden with balls etc. Although longer walks at the weekends would be fine.

My children say I am thinking too much about problems and should just get on with things. But I know it is too important a decision to take lightly. Thanks again for everyone's input.

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Totally agree re toilet training - I never use paper/puppy pads and all mine have been toilet trained by 12/14w old. Poodles are quite high energy little dogs, they need to be kept occupied as they are very clever. Any Poodles I know require quite an amount of exercise, I don't know that one would accept minimal exercise. I definitely wouldn't go for the likes of the Cocker x Poodle or the Russell x Poodle or the Lab x Poodle - they all require a lot of exercise.

 

I think a Lhasa might be a good option if you aren't allergic.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide xx

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We too have a labradoodle. My OH is asthmatic and at the time we were swayed by the anti allergy myth. When we 1st got her as a pup she didn't moult at all, however around the age of 1 her coat changed and she now moults for England - usually around October time every year. The thing is with labradoodle pups you never know quite how they're going to turn out. Luckily my OH isn't affected too much by her. Mine has a lot of energy (dog that is not OH :lol: ), needs a lot of exercise and is a water/mud magnet. Her recall is rubbish - my fault not hers - we're working on it :wink: . Having said that she has redeeming features - she has a lovely nature, is great with my kids and loves people.

 

Good like with whatever you decide and look forward to seeing pics of your new family member.

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My goldendoodle is not high energy, she loves a walk but if you can't get out for one reason or another (snow) then she is ok as long as she can have a run round the garden. I've met other owners of labradoodles and I think they tend to be higher energy than the goldendoodles that I've met. She is very clever though and loves playing hide and seek. She's also very well behaved and we've been able to eat inside many cafes/bistros with her as she just relaxes under the table.

 

Cookie's dad is a first cross goldendoodle (his photo is in Dogs Today magazine in the breed section at the back :D ) and her mum is a poodle. She doesn't moult at all but it does mean her coat is extremely hard to brush. Good luck.

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Another development is that a friend's friend has 2 Shih Tzus and she is willing to bring them round to spend a few hours with me to see how that goes with regards allergy. Quite excited about it all!! I will be able to discuss any difficulies she has had with them. I believe the 10 month old sometimes still has accidents. How long does it take for them to be accident free(ish)? Thanks.

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Another development is that a friend's friend has 2 Shih Tzus and she is willing to bring them round to spend a few hours with me to see how that goes with regards allergy. Quite excited about it all!! I will be able to discuss any difficulies she has had with them. I believe the 10 month old sometimes still has accidents. How long does it take for them to be accident free(ish)? Thanks.

 

Every pup, like every child is different, I also use a crate for pups and take them outside to the toilet every hour, after each meal and on waking up. My pups have always been clean and dry totally in the house by 16w give or take. During the night, I have the crate in the bedroom and as soon as I hear them stir, they are taken out immediately.

 

Fingers crossed you get on fine with the Shih Tzu's.

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Agree with previous posts re poodles - I grew up with a toy poodle. He was a lovely dog, full of energy and needed a lot of exercise so sounds like it would not be the ideal breed for you. The coat of a poodle is soft and curly and totally non shedding but you have to factor in the cost of regular clipping - every 6 weeks at £30 odd a time.

 

No experience with Shih-Tzus but good luck x

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Thank you for the info about poodles being high energy. I suppose the vet was just thinking from the allergy point of view. However I think it may be too lively for me.

Rhapsody, I did contact the dogs home and have left a message for them to get back to me. I think though as I can spend some time with the breeds that is best as I may have a different reaction to a particular type of dog than another asthmatic. My son has a friend with a schnauzer so I may be able to see that one as well.

With all these dogs visiting I will need to make sure my 'girls' and rabbit are not stressed!

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Just to update re dog situation. I spent a morning with a Llasa who did not seem to cause much of an allergic reaction, just a bit of a tickle in my throat but he certainly would have eaten my girls for dinner if I had let him near them. He was desperate to vault over the netting to get them and they were shouting a bit about him too. I then had two Shih Tzus to visit thinking that if I had been okish with the Llasa the same would apply with them as I thought their hair was the same. I felt ok at first but later on my throat was really sore although no wheezing. I phoned our local animal shelter and the girl there said it sometimes depended on the individual dog and that curly breeds were better. I wonder if the sore throat would eventually go if I got desensitised to the dog.

I am also wondering if I should perhaps foster first and then I could see if any symptoms disappeared. I know that you can foster greyhounds locally. Does anyone know how they live with hens? If at all. Also do they shed a lot of hair? How much exercise do they need daily? Any info welcomed :)

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Greyhounds generally would not be safe with hens/small furries - especially ex-racers. Of course, there will always be exceptions to the rules, but I'd exercise caution! Greyhounds also do shed hair.

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